The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-03-26
CARDINAL GIBBONS.

POSSESSION
and Delivers an Eloquent Address.
ROME. March 25.-It was just past 10 o'clock
this morning, the day being the sacred feast day
of the Annuneiation, when Cardinal James Glib
bons, arch bishop of Baltimore, arrived at the
iron gates of the portico of the Basilca of Santa
Marie in Trastevere for the purpose of formally
taking possession of it as his tituar church. He
was arrayed in the splendid robes Of cardinal,
wearing a-white fur COPE crimson silk mantle
and long train. When he reached the door of
the church he knelt on cushion placed there on
strip of carpet Tho canons belonging to the
church and the students of the American Col
lege in Rome, wearing surplices were waiting
for the Archbishop. Student Stickey, of Cincin-
natl, O., was cross bearer, and the acolytes
rying candles were students Doherty, Of Balti
more, Md. and Shea. of Cincinnati, o. Bishops
Keane. of Richmond, Va, and Watterson, of
Columbus O., were with the canons waiting
Student Reardon of Baltimore, Md. bore the
crucifx. Cardinal Gibbons, when he approached
the church, was accompanied by the
Right Rev. John Ireland, Bishop Of St
Paul. Mimi, and by Master of Ceremonies
Marucci and others. The Cardinal after kneel-
ing, kissed the crucifx. which was presented to
him by canon wearing cope. The Cardinal
then put on his beretta, and, SO covered, placed
incense in the thurible. He then again barred
his head. took the aspersorium from the canon
who had presented the crucifix, and signed him
self with the sign of the cross. Then. replacing
| the beretta, he asperged the people present with
holy water, after which he again removed his
beretta and was thrice incensed by the canon,
| the choir meanwhile singing the antiphon,
! "Ecce Sacerdos Magnus." After being thus in
censed the procession moved to the altar, fol.
| lowed by the Cardinal, who blessed the people
as he went At the altar the blessed sacrament
was administered, and all knelt for short time
| in prayer. The procession next went to the
high altar There the Cardinal knelt and the
canon recited the paternoster and other prayers.
In the apse throne. with white back and
| crimson canopy. had been placed. The Cardinal
seated himself on the throne, the bishops
and priests in attendance being seated
about him. The prothonotary. Monsignor
| Pericol, thereupon read in Latin the
papal bull assigning the church Santa Marie in
Trastevere to Cardinal Gibbons as his titular
church This bull was long document and
recited at length the nature of the assignment
| government and custody of the church. The
| canons went forward to the throne, and all but
| the chief canon knelt and kissed the Cardinals
hand, the Cardinal rising to receive the chief
| canon for the kiss of peace-ad osculum pacie
An address from the canons to the Cardinal was
| then read in Latin by Canon Francesca Ar
| duini. It was of great length. To this Cardinal
! Gibbons, remaining seated and wearing his
| beretta, replied in English as follows
1.-THE assignment to me by the Holy Father
| OF this beautiful basllica as my tituar church
fills me with feelings Of Joy and gratitude which
any words of mine are wholly inadequate to
express. For. as here in Rome | stand within
| the first temple raised in honor of the ever
| blessed Virgin Mary, so in my far-off home my
own cathedral church, the oldest in the United
States, is also dedicated to the mother of God
| This venerable edifice in which we are gathered
| leads us back in contemplation to the days Of
the catacombs. It's foundation was lald by
Pope Caixtus. in the year of our Lord 224 1t
was restored by Pope Julius in the fourth CEN
| tury, and renovated by another supreme pontiff
| in the twelfth. That. neverceasing solicitnde
which the sovereign pontlffs have exhibited in
erecting those material temples which are the
glory of this city. they have also manifested on
a larger scale In rearing spiritual walls to
| Zion throughout christendom in every age.
Scarcely were the United States of America
formed into an independent government when
Pope Plus VII established therein Catholic
hierarchy and appointed the illustrious John
Carroll the first Bishop of Baltimore Our Cath
olic community in those days numbered only a
few thousand souls. and they were scattered
chiefly through the States of New York. Penn
sylvania and Maryland. They were served by
the merest handful of priests, but now, thanks
to the fructifying grace of God, the grain of
mustard seed then planted has grown a large
tree, spreading its branches through the length
and breadth of our fair land Where only one
bishop was found IN the beginning of this CEN
tury, there are now seventy-ive exercising spr-
itual jurisdiction For this great progress we
are indebted, under God and the fostering care
of the Holy See, TO the civil liberty we enjoy in
our enlightened Republic.
| "Our Holy Father, Leo XIII, in his luminous
| encyclical the constitution of Christian
:. states, declares that the church is not commit
| ted to any particular form of civil government.
She adapts herself to all. She leaveDs all with
the sacred leaven of the gospel. She has lived
under absolute empires, under constitutional
where she grows and expands. She has often,
indeed. been hampered in her divine mission.
She has even been forced to struggle
for existence wherever despotism has cast
its dark shadow, like plant shut out from
the blessed sunlight Of heaven But in the
genial atmosphere OF liberty she blossoms like
the rose For myself a citizen of the United
States. and without closing my eyes to OH.
} sense of pride and gratitude, that belong to q
country where the civil government holds oves
US the ngis of its protection without interfering
with US in the legitimate exercise of sub
| lime mission as ministers of the gospel of Christ
Our country has liberty without license. and
authority without despotism. She rears ID
wall to exclude the stranger from coming among
us. She has few frowning Notifications to repel
the Invader, for she is at piece with all the
world. She rests secure in the consciousness oi
her strength and her good will toward ALL Hel
) harbors are open to welcome the honest emf
grant who comes to advance his temporal inter
ests and find a peaceful home But while We
are acknowledged to have q free government
perhaps we do not receive the credit that be
longs to Us for having also q strong govern